With the coronavirus stats going in the right direction, all of us at C&G Newspapers look forward to resuming publication of the St. Clair Shores Sentinel and Birmingham-Bloomfield Eagle on May 27th. All other C&G newspapers will begin publishing on June 10th (Advertiser-Times on June 24th). In the meantime, continue to find local news on our website and look for us on Facebook and Twitter.

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With the coronavirus stats going in the right direction, all of us at C&G Newspapers look forward to resuming publication of the St. Clair Shores Sentinel and Birmingham-Bloomfield Eagle on May 27th. All other C&G newspapers will begin publishing on June 10th (Advertiser-Times on June 24th). In the meantime, continue to find local news on our website and look for us on Facebook and Twitter.

Golfers walk the course at the Gowanie Golf Club during the 42nd annual Evans-Gill Invitational Tournament. Macomb Dakota notched a 327 to win the championship.

Local boys golf teams battle for Evans-Gill tourney title

HARRISON TOWNSHIP — Macomb County golf teams hit the links April 29 at the Gowanie Golf Club in less than ideal conditions to battle in the 42nd annual Evans-Gill Invitational Golf Tournament.

One squad stood out above the rest as Macomb Dakota finished with a 327 and the tournament championship.

“We have four seniors who have played in conditions like this the last three years, so they aren’t surprised when they come out to play in 40-degree weather,” Dakota coach Paul Tocco said. “When the weather is as bad as it was (April 29), it is very easy to come up with excuses of why you’re playing badly or just give up in general. These guys have done those things in the past and learned from it, and we are proud to see them come out on top.”

The scores of the top four golfers from each squad are factored into the final number.

Dakota’s Josh Tranzow shot a 1-under-par 70 to win the individual title. Tranzow was the only player to finish the round under par.

“Shooting that low a score in those conditions is pretty strong,” Tocco said. “(Tranzow) hits the ball as good as anybody in the county right now. He has played some really good holes this year and let a couple bad holes ruin his total. It was great to see him put it together for a full 18 holes.”

Warren De La Salle finished second with a score of 344. De La Salle’s Vito Iacona tallied an 80 to finish with the round’s second-best score.

Marine City High — led by Mason Beal’s 83 — finished third with a 349. Port Huron Northern tallied a 356, aided by Mitchell Hilbrandt’s 87. Rounding out the top five on the team side were Fraser High and New Baltimore Anchor Bay, which both notched a score of 364.

Fraser’s Park Bolda led the Ramblers with an 83 — good for fourth-lowest round of the day.

L’Anse Creuse’s Mason Abbate shot an 81 — the third-lowest score of the tournament — and L’Anse Creuse North’s Kristian Grogan notched an 83 to finish in the top five.

Utica High played with three golfers, which is not enough to record a team score.

Tocco said the scores could have been a product of the conditions on the course.

“I think most coaches would say that their team is capable of shooting a number better than they did,” Tocco said. “On the other hand, anytime you get kids to finish an entire round in that mess, it is a success.”

Eisenhower took the tournament title in 2018, while Ford captured the championship three straight years from 2015 to 2017.

The tournament takes place each year to honor two former high school golf coaches — Chuck Evans, of Mount Clemens High, and Roger Gill, of Macomb L’Anse Creuse North.